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Gun shop gets a shot in Tewksbury

By Katie Lannan, klannan@lowellsun.com

Updated:
02/18/2013 07:05:40 AM EST

Ken Murphy, left, and Don Florence plan to open New England Shooters Warehouse at 2550 Main St., in Tewksbury, on Friday. Murphy said residents' concerns about the shop are unfounded. "We want to do everything right," he said. Sun/Bob Whitaker

TEWKSBURY -- A brown cardboard sign hangs in the entrance of the not-yet-opened New England Shooters Warehouse, apologizing to would-be customers that the new store won't open until later this month.

Still, shop owner Ken Murphy said, he sees about 25 cars pull into the lot a day, hoping he'll be open for business.

Users on the online forum Northeast Shooters discussed the possibility of camping out the night before the opening of the gun and sporting-equipment store, the way shoppers line up for Black Friday deals or the latest high-tech gadget.

Murphy, who formerly owned and operated Taylor Rental at the same location, 2550 Main St., said he and his partners are lifelong shooting enthusiasts who decided to make a career out of something they love.

Don Florence, left, and Ken Murphy, of New England Shooters Warehouse, show survival kits they'll sell in the Tewksbury store, which is scheduled to open Friday. SUN/BOB Whitaker

Murphy said stocking the shop in advance of its scheduled opening Friday has presented a challenge, with gun manufacturers flooded with orders at the moment.

"The biggest problem now is all of the product," he said. "It's the greatest problem in the world for them -- to have to be six to eight months out of product."

Gun permits and sales have been on the rise in Greater Lowell since 2008, a recent Sun analysis found last month. Recently, surge in gun sales has been reported nationwide, after President Barack Obama called for a tightening of gun-control laws in response to the fatal shooting of 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

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Obama has urged Congress to pass such measures as universal background checks and bans on assault weapons and ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.

Murphy thinks it's the threat of those and other potential restrictions that is driving customers to stock up. It's part of the reason, too, that the store will sell reloading supplies for gun owners who cast their own bullets.

"As ammunition gets harder and harder to get, people are looking to make their own," Murphy said.

Some posters on online forums say they are area residents looking forward to having a convenient location to purchase guns, ammunition and other supplies. Others in Tewksbury and surrounding towns have expressed concerns about the safety of gun sales in the community.

Stacie Murphy, a Wilmington resident who lives near New England Shooters Warehouse and who organized a candlelight vigil honoring the victims of the Newtown shooting, said she is surprised the town would welcome a gun retailer.

"With all the talk about gun control and gun laws and with what happened in Sandy Hook ... now is not the time to open up a gun store," she wrote in an email.

Town officials said Ken Murphy had been working with them for about a year to get his store ready and meet all the requirements.

"Obviously, a lot of work goes into this," Police Chief Timothy Sheehan said. "We absolutely have the residents' best interest at heart in regard to security."

The licensing process for a firearms dealer is similar to the process for an individual seeking a permit to carry a gun, Tewksbury police Sgt. Patrick Harrington said.

First, the shop owner must obtain a federal firearms license. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives issues the licenses to applicants who pay a fee, pass a background check and receive a recommendation from an investigator after an interview.

In Massachusetts, a federal firearms licensee must then also obtain a state license through the local police department. One specific requirement is that a gun retailer must have a storefront and cannot sell out of his or her home.

Harrington said police departments determine suitability of a license applicant on a case-by-case basis, with factors that wouldn't necessarily disqualify someone under state law also taken into consideration. As an example, Harrington said a chief might deny a license to someone with a history of "serious mental-health issues, like maybe they'd threatened to harm themselves in the past."

Police chiefs also advise dealers on security procedures, including bars or alarms for windows. The building housing New England Shooters Warehouse has no windows.

"This dealer, in particular, has been working for a while with the Police Department, so there were some recommendations by the chief to increase the safety and security of the building that he ended up doing," Harrington said.

Among Murphy's safety provisions are roll-down metal screens and signs advising customers of laws and rules in the shop. Guns are all kept behind the counter and locked up when the store is closed.

In addition to rifles, handguns and ammunition, Murphy's store will carry fishing and some bow-hunting equipment, as well as survival gear, including emergency meal kits and water-purification supplies.

"Everybody's got their own thing to feel safe," he said.

New England Shooters Warehouse was originally set to open this past Friday, but downed servers forced a postponement. The computer systems are key, Murphy said, to logging inventory, recording sales and performing background checks on customers.

"We want to do everything right," he said. "We're not a mom-and-pop shop. We want to be a premier retailer."

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